Former players responsible for Pakistan downfall: Basit

LAHORE - Former Test cricketwr Basit Ali has lashed out at former players and held them responsible for the current down fall of Pakistan team. Talking in the Waqt News programme Game Beat, Basit said that Pakistan cricket was suffering badly due to the groupings among the former cricketers and their untoward criticism of the team and cricketing matters.

Former head of Pakistan’s junior selection committee also made an appeal to the former cricketers to come to the cricket grounds and transfer their experience to the young cricketers. “Former cricketers can coach the youngsters at their own too and it is not necessary for them to wait for a job in the Board to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.”

He said that the unnecessary criticism of former players for the last one year could not have bring any improvement in Pakistan cricket and now they should unconditionally support the Pakistan cricket for one year at last and it would certainly put a positive impact on the performances of the players .

He alleged that the former cricketers just tried to blast the board and the players on media due to their personal agendas and were not ready to help out the players in the field. Basit was of the view that sunch irresponsible criticism and behavior has badly affected the confidence of the players and it was the main reason behind their continued poor performances.

Basit was also not impressed with the approach of new players and said that today a player did not focus on the game and did not try to learn about the game. “The players did not try to learn about the game. They don’t know about the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. They don’t give a dman to understand the pitch and conditions. Instead their focus keeps on other than cricketing issues.”

He said due to such an attitude of the players he did not sit with the players in the dressing room as bearing their poor approach and pathetic discussions was a painful experience.

Basit said that Pakistan are facing shortage in finding quality spinners and batsmen anow a days. “Naturally talented great players like Javed Miandad and Zaheer Khan would not emerge now. We have to develop the players and turn the average talents into the performers.”

He also lauded the appointment of Inzamam ul Haq as chief selector but said to select national team is quite easy as compared to selecting a junior team. He said Pakistanplayers needed to be given confidence as cricket is only the game of confidence and it was the only way to put the team back on the winning ways.